Ton up at last!

Tuesday evening Keith accompanied me on a visit to one of my sites alongside the River Waveney. With clearing skies and a large moon appearing soon after dark we feared it would be another evening in the pattern of most nights so far this year with poor results. This proved true on the first round of inspecting the eight traps with not much activity and just 2 hawk-moths on a night when we expected many, the best moths being a Four-dotted Footman, Alder Kitten and a quite early for the site Shaded Fanfoot. But about 12 midnight the temperature lifted by about 2 degrees and the moths began arriving in good numbers. At the final check I counted over 100 Clouded Border in the 2 traps in the Carr wood, the sheet trap was adorned with 10 Eyed, 5 Poplar, 4 Elephant and 1 Small Elephant Hawk-moths crawling or flying around it and the final count was 109 species. Some of the other highlights were Spinach, Double Dart, several Ghost Moth (male & female), Birds Wing (a very infrequent moth in this area), 3 Alder Kitten and lots of Beautiful Hook-tip a moth that continues to increase in numbers every year. Among the good number s of micros was Olindia schumacherana, Monochroa palustrellus and a couple of male Adela croesella with their absurdly long antennae (Keith had to find a large pot to accommodate the whiskers).
It turned out to be our best night of the year so far which resulted in arrival home as the dawn sky reddened and the first Blackbird was singing. It proved that when the conditions are right, the moths are there.

Brian

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One Response to Ton up at last!

  1. Raymond Watson says:

    Well done. Yes things are beginning to look more like they should for the time of year. Tuesday 21st was a good night here too. Catch with species count in excess of 140. More importantly though, I took another Cydia inquinatana. This is now my 3rd. It was in a very good condition and the winds coming up to 21st were not conducive to immigration. I am now more convinced this species is resident in this part of Suffolk. Other records also around here.

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